"Vinyl" digest: 30 materials on the production, practical issues and the history of vinyl

Under the cut - thirty materials from our " World Hi-Fi ", dedicated to vinyl records and players. Here you will find: posts for beginners, useful tips on caring for vinyl, as well as stories about how the factories for the production of records work.

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Talking about vinyl

Box set: how true fans listen to music . Why buy box sets? To collect rare records or works of musicians for a specific period, replenish the collection of fan attributes, look at the work of your favorite artist from a different angle. We talk about what are the box sets and for whom they are created.
Vinyl is dead, long live vinyl . The material is suitable for those who are just thinking about purchasing vinyl. Kerim Tatevian, an expert in the field of sound, will tell you what you should pay attention to when choosing a record: how to evaluate its condition, where to go shopping and so on.
Vinyl: New is well forgotten old . Now the vinyl industry is experiencing what critics call the “second birth”. We discuss the position that vinyl holds in people's lives and try to figure out what and for whom it means: from a simple retro symbol and a carrier with certain characteristics to the “status” indicator.
Talking about vinyl: Myths, opinions and current situation . Transcript of one of the episodes of our podcast “ Sound ”. Here we talk about the situation with vinyl players, components and discuss various myths associated with the theme of vinyl.
Find and save: how to save music, buying up all the vinyl records of the world . Why did a resident of the USA for 40 years collect a multimillion collection of records? Where are avid collectors storing their treasures? And how much money can go on such a hobby? You can find answers to these and other questions here.

Historical rubric

Sound recording history: from mechanics to digital . In just one hundred years, mankind has turned the understanding of sound recording: from cumbersome archaic phonographs to modern ultra-compact players. Of course, the historical material will not do without mentioning the history of the plates.
The history of vinyl. Fadeless sound . The article will tell you what the very first “discs” were made of, in which package they were stored and why the same song was recorded on both sides of the record. Briefly focus on the standards for manufacturing vinyl and show how to choose a player.
The history of high-end audio equipment . How did high-quality sound systems evolve from the mid-forties to the late sixties of the last century. Inside you will find a brief overview of the key representatives of Hi-Fi equipment available to music lovers of those years: from Audio Consolette to Bozak, as well as information about companies that have influenced the development of the High-End market.
"Highway Hi-Fi": the history of record players for cars . 80 years ago, motorists could only be content with radios, and they could only dream of listening to records. Everything changed with the advent of the first players - one of the types of such devices were vinyl systems for cars. We tell their story.

Alternative formats

Flexible plates - a universal carrier, which is back from the past . Let's talk about how the format of a flexible plate has become popular in Russia and the world. We will tell about an interesting use case with X-rays in the USSR, other examples from its history and features of the format that still support interest from performers, listeners and producers.
Is cassette a new vinyl? We recall the history of the emergence of the format and try to talk about how “alive” the cassettes can be considered today: who produces them, where they sell and whether it is worth counting on the revival of the format.
Battle for format: reel vs cassette vs vinyl vs CD vs HiRes . How does the sound differ depending on the used media and format? To find out, MMC arranged a special “audition”. The organizers even collected a unique system for reproducing the indicated media. On the results of the "battle", read the article.
Why CDs can sound better than vinyl records . We discuss the material of Chris Cornelis, in which he reviewed the pros and cons of CD regarding the capabilities of the plates. Talk about why vinyl might sound better than a CD, and vice versa.
Vinyl and CD: the taste and color . Another material on the comparison of vinyl and digital recordings. What can not blame, what can a CD, and what format do people prefer?
Forgotten Formats: Flexible Records . Let us tell you where the flexible records came from, why they became popular and what the main disadvantage they had. We will also give examples of using the format: from recordings of children's fairy tales to Alice Cooper's unique singles and McDonald's promotions.
"Just so take and listen to music": 5 ways and formats to choose from . We compare streaming, CD, digital copies, vinyl and “dead” media in the context of listening comfort and sound quality. The article will help determine the choice of format and suggest what criteria you can use to find what you need.
New-old formats: HD-vinyl and DIY-plates . In this material, we will discuss a new technology for creating records - HD-vinyl. 3D-modeling in combination with laser technology reduces the cost of creating plates in half. Follow the link to read about potential implementation difficulties, as well as alternative solutions - 3D vinyl printing and players with the possibility of upscaling recording.

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How to make records and players

How to make vinyl records, or a new LP-capital of the world . United Record Pressing is the largest vinyl factory in the United States, located in the city of Nashville. We will show and tell you how its employees create records, which performers “print” their music there and why Nashville claims to be the world capital of vinyl.
How does the largest vinyl record factory work ? Another material on the intricacies of the production and sale of vinyl. The first part of the article refers to the "internal kitchen" of the Czech company for the production of GZ Media records. The second part is dedicated to Key Production in London, which specializes in the supply and packaging of vinyl records.
The Holy Grail of Vinyl: the art of half-speed mastering . Here, mastering engineer Miles Scowell describes all the details of cutting a disc at half speed. What difficulties arise in the process? What are the prospects for mastering at half speed? What equipment is used? These and other questions will be answered by an expert in his interview.
Reverse mastering: is it possible to increase the dynamic range of compressed records? All media (except for the classics) are compressed during the mastering process. The article proposes a method of restoring the original dynamics with the help of software correction of clipped signal peaks. What came of this can be heard at the link.
Clearaudio perfectionism. How to make vinyl record players . We offer a small tour of the production building of the German company Clearaudio, which manufactures turntables. On the link you will find photos of the showroom, shops, the process of assembling players, prototypes and details of washing machines and much more.
Mastering is not mastering . A small terminological educational program: what is “mastering”, how does it differ from the notions of “mixing” and “remaster” and does the mastering of the original record affect the mastering of vinyl? These questions will be answered by 5 audio industry professionals.
Roberto Vigo, Analogy Records: "Master tape is the purest source of analog sound . " Here we offer an interview with a man who revives analogue sound in the digital age. Roberto Vigo, director of the label Analogy Records, will tell how his brand originated, for whom it is intended, how it is recorded on the master tape. At the end of the conversation, the expert will explain why the tape, in his opinion, sounds “cleaner” than vinyl.
The return of the era of vinyl . This article will introduce you to two US vinyl factories: Cascade Record Pressing and Gotta Groove Records. Representatives of the factories will share the problems that the industry faces (for example, the lack of compactors and outdated equipment) and opinions about the future of the plates.

Useful tips

Customize the turntable . We explain in simple terms the stages of the player settings: assembly, location, isolation, adjusting the angle of the pickup, etc. The article is suitable for novice music lovers, it can also be used as a checklist.
How to get the best sound from a turntable . This material may appeal to those who want to independently understand the device of the player and the features of its work. Inside you will find several secrets - from installing the ton-arm to setting up the cartridge - that will help you achieve a better sound.
How to care for vinyl: 7 tips for beginners . To discs do not spoil, and the collection looked neat, you must follow a few simple rules. These rules will be discussed in the article: how and where to store records, how to clean the player, how to choose cleaning products, and so on.
100 questions about vinyl: why you need vinyl and where to start . This is the first part of a series of 100 questions about vinyl. This includes 10 questions that may be interesting to beginners: why vinyl did not “die” in the digital age, what records are like, where to buy them, whether it is possible to find a budget player with decent sound, etc.
100 questions about vinyl: the design of the player . Recommended for reading by advanced vinyl connoisseurs. We offer to delve into the design of the players. You will learn: what are passic, whether nutritional upgrades are necessary for player motors, whether the materials of the device affect its sound, etc.
What are the principal components of the player? Table, motor or drive, tonearm and pickup head. Wires and a slightly separate phonocorrector. We will deal with some components of the player.

Additional reading: several posts from our Vinyl Academy :

Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/371505/

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